The Burmese government has moved to ban timber exports by 2014 in a bid to stop the destruction of the country's forests and their unique wildlife, much to the delight of pressure groups which have been working toward the decision.

The impact of the media coverage of Foxconn on Apple should act as a stark reminder to companies to carefully analyze both their supply chains and how they engage them. Incidents, challenges and tragedies can have a long-lasting impact on both corporate reputations and the resilience of the supply chain itself.
Unfortunately, the last few years have seen a decline in creative approaches and investment in strong supply chain engagement programs.

The European Union (EU) announced yesterday that it will apply a one-year moratorium on the controversial inclusion of civil aviation under its Emissions Trading System (ETS), which has mandated that all airlines flying to and from EU pay for their carbon emissions.
The freeze follows threats of widespread international retaliation from such heavyweights as the US, China, Russia and India, and is said to allow for the EU rethink its approach.
Flights by airlines within the EU will still have to pay for their carbon emissions.

A “greener” dual-fuel marine engine has been developed by Hyundai Heavy Industries. In an effort to meet proposed stricter environmental regulations, the world's biggest shipbuilder the new engine allows marine engines to selectively use both LNG and diesel for fuel depending on the requirement.

A private equity company says it is looking at green investment in the Asia's shipping industry.
Speaking at a recent Eco-Dollars Business Breakfast organized by Asia Shipping Media in Singapore, Vigor Capital director Jotdeep Singh said: “As an investor the first thing we look at is green, but of course we have to check it has to be financially viable. We look for ships that consume less fuel. Fuel is the main thing we look for. We are going to focus on the energy use of ships to begin with.”

US-based global retail giant Wal-Mart Stores Inc has given its suppliers five years to comply with its environmental rules or risk being pushed off its shelves. The new requirements, announced in China where Wal-Mart has more than 20,000 suppliers, will compel them to improve on energy efficiency, waste reduction and other markers on the retailer’s checklist.
Wal-Mart said the checklist, introduced in 2009, was voluntary. But if suppliers fall short, they could be cut off from the discount stores wholesale warehouses that the company operates in the United States.

Recent studies have highlighted that sizable amounts of carbon emissions are transferred between world regions in the form of traded goods and services. That is, considerably more emissions are generated for the production of imports to countries, such as the EU and US than those associated with their exports.
This observation has frequently been regarded as an indication that energy-intensive industries are being relocated from industrialized to developing and newly industrializing countries, especially to China.

A damning new study on the global luxury leather industry has been released by NGO Human Rights Watch which claims workers in many leather tanneries in the Hazaribagh neighborhood of Dhaka, the Bangladesh capital, including children as young as 11, become ill because of exposure to hazardous chemicals and are injured in horrific workplace accidents.
Released last week, the study says that the tanneries, which export hundreds of millions of dollars in leather for luxury goods throughout the world, are also spewing pollutants into surrounding communities.

South Korea’s Ministry of Environment has outlined its plan for the control of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions from its major industries and may link an energy taxation system to emissions as part of efforts to reduce emissions.
As announced Monday, estimated emissions from 480 companies that are being reined in during 2013 are 590 million tonnes of CO2 and the target is to cut that back to 572 million tonnes for a reduction of 3.02 percent.

Panasonic has opened an “eco ideas” Factory in Vietnam which is aimed at producing eco-friendly products with sustainable industry practices and raising the level of eco consciousness in the local community.

South Korea’s economy ministry said today that it wants companies to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 3 percent to 553.4 million tonnes next year, effectively doubling the reductions achieved in 2012, as it prepares for its new cap-and-trade scheme starting in 2015.
The local industrial and power sectors are on track to record emission of 570.6 million tonnes this year which is a reduction of 8 million tonnes or 1.42 percent over 2011. The ministry said it wants to see further cuts of 17.2 million in 2013.

PepsiCo has developed a tool to calculate the carbon emissions of different materials and activities in a company’s supply chain and operations, and within minutes pinpoint which of these carries the largest carbon footprint.

Supporting Organizations

Opinions

Every day huge, invisible flows of natural capital assist global and local economies to turn, but remain unrecognized, unmonitored and unregulated. PwC Indonesia’s Moray McLeish says government and the private sector have a responsibility to place a tangible value on natural capital in order to prevent mismanagement, abuse, and misappropriation, leading to the degradation of ecosystems and the loss of biodiversity.

Hong Kong's main water sources, located in Southern China, are under environmental stress and the situation doesn't auger well for the future. Su Liu, head of Greater China & water policy research at Civic Exchange, believes the city has the professional knowhow and capability, but lacks an overall long term vision for water resource development.